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ananyo writes: "Robert Grosseteste, an English scholar who lived from about 1175 to 1253, was the first thinker in northern Europe to try to develop unified physical laws to explain the origin and form of the geocentric medieval universe of heavens and Earth. Tom McLeish, professor of physics and pro-vice-chancellor for research at Britain's Durham University, and a multinational team of researchers found that Grosseteste's physical laws were so rigorously defined that they could be re-expressed using modern mathematical and computing techniques — as the medieval scholar might have done if he had been able to use such methods. The thinking went that the translated equations could then be solved and the solutions explored. The 'Ordered Universe Project' started six years ago and has now reported some of its findings. Only a small set of Grosseteste's parameters resulted in the "ordered" medieval universe he sought to explain, the researchers found; most resulted either in no spheres being created or a 'disordered' cosmos of numerous spheres. Grosseteste, then, had created a medieval 'multiverse.' De Luce suggests that the scholar realized his theories could result in universes with all manner of spheres, although he did not appear to realize the significance of this. A century later, philosophers Albert of Saxony and Nicole Oresme both considered the idea of multiple worlds and how they might exist simultaneously or in sequence."

A: A 14th Century Mystico-Philospher and early Natural Scientist was so insightful that he developed models with an uncanny anticipation of modern, post-special relativity Astrophysics.

B: The limits of modern models and measurements for the physical universe were exhausted - reaching a limit with Einstein and Heisenberg, etc., so that any further extrapolations require fantastical imaginations, worthy of 14th century Alchemysts.

Ha, just used the same number as the OP. 13th century. There was probably a 14th century one too. And the famous alchemist who "predicted" a multiverse in the seventeenth century, of course. I believe his name was Newton.

Lost in my consideration of Fromunda cheese,(the baddest cheese) my mind wandered to Mandelbrots functions to find the mathematics representing iterations of is,probably, and possibly; relative to a meta-view of any multiple realities finite thought might presume. There I found the usual assortment of grandfathered theories; existential to their reckoning, alongside those not heard and those to come. Mandelbrots math anticipates further iterations that you could fill in the blank for, with anything, if you

It actually refers to his head. Like the one on his shoulders, not the the other kind... French likes to have the letter "s" silent and modifying how other letters are pronounced, mostly the "e". In modern French, the word for head is tête. Most words with ê now used to have es in them. Fête = feste = festival. Arrêt = Arrest, etc.

I grew up in a cult of wacko child molesters who tried to teach us about some place outside of this universe where winged creatures lived and where you supposedly were transported to when you died, unless you went to the other dimension where there was a big fire. All sounds so foolish now.

it is a relatively weak news but nonetheless it's sad to see how people cannot accept the fact that a lot if not all the greatest scientists, inventors and innovators had a rather mystical and deeply philosophical side in their lives... that side to side to rigorous mathematical papers there were much more 'unscientific' studies... it's the human attraction for what is hidden and mysterious that always lives in the minds of explorers and scientists are first and foremost explorers.... we are creating a

Carl Sagan once said: "Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality."

Newton wrote more about Alchemy then anything else; yet he is given a free pass because, gosh, darn, all his "lesser" works were much more useful. We'll just pretend all his other work didn't exist because "We 'know' better in these 'modern' times".

The hypocrisy, and arrogance of Scientists is nothing new. Feynman summarized the problem as "Cargo Cult Science". Locked into orthodox per

In case you and GP haven't thought it through to conclusion, the fact that Science does not include religious-type beliefs is a good thing. Popular understanding of science is already horrible enough in the US due to politics, we don't need schools refusing to teach algebra just because it was first described by a Muslim. Newton is not "given a free pass." To discredit his work in physics and calculus because of his "work" in alchemy would be logical fallacy (probably the most common one: ad hominem). S

it's the human attraction for what is hidden and mysterious that always lives in the minds of explorers and scientists are first and foremost explorers

The above observation is right, but your implied conclusion is wrong. Science always grows to infringe upon what was previously thought to be the domain of some supernatural entity. Explorers are named such because they don't see the unknown and simply accept that it will remain that way. Scientific progress happens precisely because scientists don't reach a point and say, "well, I can't go any further, because obviously [supernatural entity] did it."

I read about this last week... Yes, if you take any significantly crazy dude from 1000 years ago and examine his theories in a modern light, his theories will likely end up baring an uncanny resemblance to the truth.

Heretic? When they also want to preach about unprovable and untestable extra dimensions or multiverses? In their dimensions there are winged people and some people are transported there when they die. In a different dimension there is a big fire. More likely they would have burned him for plagiary.

I'm not sure where you get the idea that angels and demons have no free will. Back in the child molesting cult that I grew up in, I was taught that they have free will. Specifically (and I have no idea where the cult got this information, since the bible starts at the creation of earth and man and it doesn't seem to cover the creation of angels, but I was taught that religion had no place for logically questioning what you were taught) the cult told me that a bunch of angels were created and they wondered w

Over at 'the other place' the guy who did some of the computer modelling for the project has chipped in with some insights that are a bit more interesting than those (dare I say it) here (there, I did).https://news.ycombinator.com/i... [ycombinator.com] eg Here's a thread from there:

T-A 18 hours ago | link

So the Economist's point is that a "research" project exploring an idea about the universe which has been known to be incorrect for centuries somehow proves the value of the humanities? Really?